The Spirit of Justice
by XX00Meg00XX
Summary: "It was just a dream, but it felt so real. She's never believed in things like that before, never believed that spirits could come back and have conversations with people, let alone hug and touch them." My entry for the 'Castle Halloween Bash 2014'.


**A/N: This is my entry for the 'Castle Halloween Bash 2014'. I had a blast writing this and it's probably the fastest I've ever typed a story. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or any of its characters.**

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><p><strong>The Spirit of Justice<strong>

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><p>The darkness of the alley seems to swallow her whole. The further she walks, the darker it gets, and she's not sure how that's even possible. The night air is chilly, whipping against the silk of her pajamas, and she shivers, wrapping her arms around her thin frame. Her legs carry her forward, unable to ignore the sound of her own name being called from further down the alley. In spite of the darkness around her, she knows exactly where she is, although the reason why is still unclear. The voice echoes around her each time she hears it, yet the word comes out clear.<p>

"Katie…"

The image of her mother's lifeless body flashes in her mind as she comes to a stop at the place where Johanna Beckett was murdered. She's been here more times than she can count, wondering what the last minutes of her mother's life were like, wondering what she was thinking before she took her last breath. She stares at the spot where her mother's life drained out into a pool of blood. It's hard to believe it's been fifteen years.

She's startled out of her thoughts when she hears the voice again.

"Katie…"

This time it comes from her direct left and she spins towards it, only to find herself face to face with—

Her mother.

She startles, stepping backwards as her eyes widen, staring slack jawed at the woman in front of her.

'Mo…Mom?" She stutters, her heart beginning to race at the sight of Johanna Beckett standing only a few feet from her.

Her mother takes a few steps towards her until she's only inches away, and then she reaches her hand out, softly grasping Kate's shoulder. She shivers when she feels it; ghosts can't actually touch people, can they?

"Oh, Katie, it's been a long time. You've grown into such a beautiful woman."

Kate's eyes widen in surprise and she shakes her head. "Mom? How can this be happening?"

Johanna smiles softly, following Kate's gaze to the place where she bled out fifteen years ago.

"I know it's hard to fathom. I'm really here though, Katie. I need to tell you something."

Kate glances around her, but it's so dark that she can only see directly in front of where they're currently standing. It's odd, because she's been here in the middle of the night before and she'd been able to see further than she can right now. She turns her questioning gaze back to her mother.

"How did I get here? The last thing I remember is going to bed with Castle. But more importantly, how did you get here?"

She feels another gust of wind whip around them and her entire body shivers with the force of it. Johanna glances around nervously before looking back at her.

"Listen, I don't have much time. I wanted to thank you, for never giving up, for following the evidence, and for finally catching the man behind my murder. You got justice for me, Katie. All I ever wanted was for you to be safe. So many times they almost managed to bring you down and still, you persevered. I came here because I needed you to know how proud I am of you."

Kate smiles, reaching up to cover the thin, pale hand on her shoulder. "I needed that closure. I needed to get you the justice you deserved. I miss you so much, Mom."

"I miss you too, Katie. But I'm always with you—I always have been." The corner of her mouth turns up in amusement. "Besides, I find that I don't worry about you so much anymore. Rick's a wonderful man; I'm so glad you finally let your guard down and let him inside. I wasn't sure you'd ever follow your heart." She laughs. "I still can't believe my daughter is marrying my favorite author."

Kate can only stare at her mother, wondering how she knows all of this. Sensing her question, Johanna laughs and leans in to kiss her daughter on the cheek. "I may not be alive to be a part of your life anymore, but I keep watch. That man is your soul mate, Katie. Don't ever stop fighting to be with him, because he will never stop fighting for you. I have no doubt that you two will make it."

Kate shakes her head as a tear slides down her cheek. "He's so amazing, Mom, but sometimes I feel like the world is plotting against us. Like it will do anything it can to rip our happy ending away from us. I almost started to wonder if it just wasn't meant to be."

Johanna wraps her arms around Kate, holding her close. "Don't give up on what you want. You never did before and look what happened, you solved my murder. You and Castle will be just fine because as long as you have each other, nothing will stop you."

Kate hugs her mom tighter, not wanting to let go. "I love him so much, mom. More than I ever thought I could love anyone."

"I know you do, and he loves you just as much."

They hold on to each other for a few more minutes, until Kate hears a loud chime from somewhere in the distance. Her mother pulls back reluctantly and she knows their time together has come to an end.

"I'm afraid my time is up. You've always made me proud, Katie and you always will. Thank you for fighting for justice. I love you so much, and remember, I'll always be with you."

"There's so much I want to talk to you about, so much I want to tell you. I wish you didn't have to go. I love you, mom."

"I know, honey. I know." Johanna brushes another soft kiss against her daughter's cheek and Kate closes her eyes, not wanting to let go of the feeling of this moment. She shivers as the wind picks up around her. When her eyes open she's alone in the alley.

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><p>The sound of her alarm pierces the silence of the bedroom, causing Kate to jerk upright in the bed. Her breathing is rapid and she can still feel the wind whipping around her even though she's no longer in the alley. She glances around the room, trying to regain her composure. It was just a dream, but it felt so real. She's never believed in things like that before, never believed that spirits could come back and have conversations with people, let alone hug and touch them. She tries to remember what she ate before bed that could cause her to have a dream like that.<p>

Her mother's words are still ringing loudly in her head. She knew so much about her life. Kate startles slightly when Castle's warm arms wrap around her body, pulling her flush against him.

"Good morning, beautiful. How'd you sleep?" He starts to kiss her wherever he can reach, but when she doesn't react the way she usually does when he ravishes her in the mornings, he pulls back to look at her.

"Kate, are you okay?"

She closes her eyes briefly and then looks up at him. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, Castle. Good morning to you too."

She leans up so that she can press her lips to his, capturing them in a soft kiss. She lets the warmth of his body erase the memory of the cold wind and then she slowly pulls away from him. She wants to tell him about the dream, but he lives for stuff like this. She knows he'll let his imagination run wild with it and start coming up with crazy theories. Or what if he thinks she's lost her mind and he makes fun of her for it? Maybe she'll tell him later.

Castle makes them breakfast while she takes a shower and gets ready for work. He grins widely at her when she comes in-to the kitchen and takes her seat at the bar. He sets a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of her along with her coffee. She smiles back at him and starts devouring her food. After a few moments of silence, she realizes that he's still standing there watching her. She can't stop thinking about the dream and the things her mother said to her. And she knows he's picking up on her uneasiness.

"Kate, are you sure you're okay? You've been really quiet this morning. You know you can talk to me about anything right?"

She starts to tell him, but once again decides not to. It's not like she's lying to him about something important. It was just a dream. "Sorry. I just didn't sleep very well last night. I'm fine. We'd better get going; I have to finish a ton of paperwork before our Halloween party tonight."

She doesn't give him a chance to ask any more questions as she slips on her boots and coat and starts for the door. He grabs his jacket and follows, finally letting the subject rest.

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><p>She heads on in to the precinct while he goes to get their coffee and she's thankful for a few minutes alone. She can't seem to focus on anything but the dream and how real her mother's touch had felt. Stuff like that doesn't happen though. No matter how much she misses her mother, spirits don't visit people.<p>

"Hey, you look like you need this even more now." His voice snaps her out of her thoughts and she jumps slightly when he holds her coffee out in front of her. She smiles and takes the cup from him; letting her pinky brush over his to show him how thankful she is, not just for the coffee, but for him as well.

"Thanks, Castle." She hums as the sweet, hot liquid slides down her throat, instantly putting her in a better mood. "This is exactly what I needed." And it's the truth, she's finally able to focus a little bit.

A comfortable silence surrounds them as she works to finish her paperwork in time for the party, thankful that they closed their case early yesterday. Castle used to drive her crazy when he would come in on paperwork days, but now his presence is welcome. He's her other half, after all, and she's happy to have him there.

By lunchtime she's made really good progress, so Castle goes to get lunch for everyone. She works for a few more minutes and then heads to the break room to make some more coffee. She sits down at the table and waits for him to come back.

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><p>When Castle exits the elevator he makes is way towards Kate's desk, turning to head towards the break room when he doesn't see her there. But then something on her desk catches his eye and he reaches to pick it up. He studies it as he walks in to the break room.<p>

"Hey, I've never seen this picture before, when did you bring it up here?"

She reaches for the picture in his hands as he sets the bags of food on the table.

"Castle, where did you get this?"

He glances up at her as he spreads the food containers out on the table. "It was on your desk when I came in. It's a really good picture of you and your mom. I didn't know you had it here."

She stands up quickly, exiting the break room and walking over to her desk. She's looking around the room when Castle walks up beside her. "What are you doing?"

She spins to look at him. "This picture was on my desk when you came back in just now?"

"Yes, why?"

"Castle…" She shakes her head, trying to figure out what's going on. "This picture was in a frame at my dad's house. It's the only copy of it. He framed it after my mom was killed. He said it was his favorite picture of us. I've never brought it to the precinct."

His eyes widen as he looks at her, but then a smile breaks across his face. "Ha, ha. Very funny, Kate. I know that Halloween is my thing, but you don't have to try and spook me just because you don't enjoy it as much."

She starts to protest, to drag him back into the break room and tell him about the dream, but he's just going to think it's another prank. What she told him was true, she's never taken that picture out of the frame it's in at her dad's. This doesn't mean she believes anything, she's sure there's an explanation for it. Maybe her dad brought it and left it for her? But why would he come by and not talk to her before leaving?

"Yeah, I guess you're too smart for me, huh Castle? Come on, let's go eat."

They finish their lunch and she goes back to her paperwork. She finishes with just enough time for them to swing by her apartment before going to the loft. The lease is up in a week and she only has one box left there that just happens to have the masquerade mask in it that she needs for her Victorian costume.

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><p>Castle helps her do a walk-through before they leave to make sure that she hasn't left anything behind. He's walking through her living room when something on the window seal catches his eye. He walks over to the window, picking up the small object. It's a locket that looks old and well-worn. He's just flipped it open and to see what's inside when Kate walks up beside him.<p>

"What are you looking at?" She asks him, leaning over his shoulder to see what he has in his hands. He holds the locket out so that she can take it.

"This was on your window seal; it caught my eye as I was walking by. You almost left it here. I think it has a picture of you and your mom in it. It looks really old."

She stares at him for a minute before looking down at the locket. She opens it to find that he's right; there's a picture of her on one side and her mother on the other. She's young in the picture, only two or three years old. And then she remembers why she hasn't seen this locket in so long. She shudders as she stares down at it, reaching a hand out to Castle's arm to steady herself.

Castle wraps his arm around her waist, pressing her into his side. "Okay, Kate. What's up? You've been acting weird all day, you wanna tell me what's going on? "

She slides to the floor, taking him with her. The hand that's holding the locket shakes slightly as she rests it on her knee. She takes a deep breath and then turns to look him.

"Can you please just hear me out before you say anything or make any judgments?"

He nods at her, keeping one arm wrapped around her and bringing his other to rest on her knee. "You have my undivided attention."

She closes her eyes as she recalls what happened in the dream. "Last night I had a dream, only it was unlike any dream I've ever had. It was dark, not like the usual darkness of night. I know it sounds crazy, but it was darker than that. I was walking in the alley where my mom was murdered, but I didn't know that's where I was at first. It was cold; the wind was whipping around me and I was only in my pajamas." She shivers and he presses her closer.

"I kept hearing someone call my name, so I started walking towards the voice. I got to the place where my mother was stabbed and then I heard it again, right beside me."

She stops talking and turns her head away from him. "This is insane; I can't believe I'm even telling you this."

He softly grabs her chin, turning her face back towards him. "Nothing you could ever tell me would make me think you're insane."

She huffs and swallows thickly, but she doesn't turn away. "When I turned around it was my mom. It wasn't like a ghostly form, she was right there, Castle. And when she touched me I _felt_ it. I can still feel her touch on my skin."

He squeezes her knee, encouraging her to continue.

"She said she came to thank me for getting justice for her. She thanked me for never giving up and for following the evidence. I guess it was supposed to be some type of final closure for me."

He smiles at her and there is no judgment there. "This is so cool, Kate. Your mother's spirit came to you in a dream to thank you for catching her killer."

She laughs at his reaction. "I knew you would love this. I'm still not saying I believe it, but she knew all about you, Castle. She knew all about us."

He gets that ridiculous look on his face—the one when someone knows all about his accomplishments and he gets to brag about it. "Wait, she talked about me? This keeps getting better and better. What did she say?"

She laughs again, shaking her head at him. "She said that you were my soul mate and that we were going to make it. And for the first time since before your disappearance, I believe that with all of my heart."

He grins at her, squeezing her knee a little tighter. "Your mother said we were soul mates? So does that mean she likes me?"

"Castle, only you would want to know if someone's spirit liked you or not. I told you that my mother would have loved you and I was right. And don't gloat, it's not attractive." She pokes him in the ribs, eliciting a loud howl from him. They both fall on each other in a fit of laughter.

They hold on to each other until she feels the weight of the locket in her hand. She abruptly sits up and Castle follows her lead, taking her hand in his own.

"This is so crazy, I don't even know how to process this. I don't believe in this stuff, Castle."

"Why? What's the story behind that locket, Kate?" he asks.

"The last time I saw this locket, was on my mother…at her funeral. She was still wearing it when we buried her."

Castle stiffens beside her. "She was wearing…but how – how could it have ended up here? Inside your apartment?"

"I don't know. This has been a crazy day, but it still doesn't mean I believe in spirits. We should probably go, we have to get ready for the party."

He helps her up and carries her last box out for her as she tucks the locket into her coat pocket. They drop off her key and head back to the loft to get ready for the Halloween party.

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><p>She's putting the finishing touches on her hair when she decides to call her dad. He told her earlier in the week that he wouldn't be able to make it to the party due to an out of town work obligation. He answers on the second ring,<p>

"Hey, Dad."

"Hi Katie, how are you?"

"I'm good, just getting ready for the Halloween party. Listen, I just wanted to ask you something."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Did you happen to stop by the precinct before you headed out today?"

"No, I left early this morning. Why?"

Her heart rate speeds up a little but she takes a deep breath and calms herself down. "Just asking, I wanted to make sure I didn't miss you."

"Nope, you didn't miss me. Sorry I can't make it to the party tonight, but we'll get together as soon as I get back, okay?"

'Okay, Dad, I love you."

"I love you too, Katie."

She hits end on her phone and stares at herself in the mirror. Could all of this really have happened? Did her mother really come to her in a dream to tell her thank you and remind her that her and Castle are meant to be? It's definitely interesting to think about, but she's still not sure of anything.

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><p>Their party turns out really well and everyone has a blast. Castle is the perfect host, as always, and she finds herself smiling with pride every time she looks at the man who owns her heart. She helps him clean up once everyone leaves. It takes a bit longer than it should, mostly because he keeps reminding her how much he loves her costume. She'd searched online for weeks for the Victorian corset dress that she knew would drive him crazy. She'd also kept it a surprise until tonight and his reaction had been exactly what she was going for.<p>

She's finishing putting the dishes away when he sneaks up behind her, growling in her ear. "I'm going to go get out of my costume so I can help you out of yours when you come to bed."

His navy captain uniform had more buttons on it than her first wedding dress and she knows it's going take him a while to get them all unbuttoned. She has no problem with him getting a head start on that. She finishes up in the kitchen and heads to the bedroom, ready to end her Halloween night in the arms of her delicious fiancé.

She stops in her tracks when she gets to the bedroom. The bathroom door is shut and the light is filtering out so she knows Castle must be in there. She can't make her feet move so she just stands there staring at the bed. Castle comes out a few minutes later, frowning in confusion when he sees her standing there—until he follows her gaze to the bed.

Perfectly placed on the middle of the bed are the elephants that adorned her desk for so long. When she'd realized that the tape that would convict Senator Bracken was inside them she'd been in such a rush to get to it that they'd been broken. Now they lay on their bed with no evidence of ever being shattered.

"Castle, did you fix those?"

He stutters as he answers her. "No, I haven't seen them since the day you caught Bracken. I thought they were broken—I didn't know what you did with them."

She shakes her head as she takes a step towards the bed, reaching for his hand and pulling him behind her. "I took them to my apartment and put them in a box of my mom's things. We took those boxes to storage before the wedding. How the hell did they get here?"

"I swear I had nothing to do with this, Kate." He can sense her questions, knows she's probably thinking that he did this to make fun of her. But he's telling the truth. He had nothing to do with how the elephants got there.

She reaches a shaky hand out and touches the smallest elephant, almost expecting them to disappear. It's then that she notices a small, folded piece of paper under them. She picks it up, opening it so that Castle can read it over her shoulder.

"_Happy Halloween to my favorite couple. You'll make it, because if you truly believe, anything is possible. Love, J."_

She stares at Castle and his opened mouth-gape mirrors her own, neither able to find the words to express how they're feeling. She feels a cold, familiar wind whip through the room and this time Castle shivers at the same time as her. He reaches for her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

"My mom was really here, Castle," Kate whispers. "She really came back. I know I've always said I don't believe in this stuff, but with all that's happened today how can I not?"

"It's Halloween, Kate, the most likely day of the year for spirits to visit. And if you say you believe it, then I believe it too, one-hundred percent."

She pulls out of his arms and turns so that he can start loosening the carefully tied bows on her corset. "You won't tell anyone about this right? Everyone will think I'm crazy."

He presses his lips against her neck, smiling when she trembles against him. "Of course not. This was the best Halloween ever and I want it to be our little secret."

He finally releases the last bow and the corset falls away from her body. He slides his hands under her skirt and pushes it down her legs as well. "What do you say we end the night with another activity that we'll never forget?"

She turns in his arms and pushes him down on the bed. She reaches for the elephants, carefully setting them on the dresser along with the note. "I thought you'd never ask."

When they finally drift awake then next morning after a long night of loud, passionate and definitely worth-remembering 'activities', the elephants are still where she left them, but the note has faded away into the Halloween night.

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><p><em>I owe so much thanks to Bri, for the cover art, and for making sure that my words make sense. Xoxo.<br>_

_Would love to hear your thoughts. Happy Halloween. Xo_


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